Strictly winner Bill Bailey on the health scare that changed his life

13 November 2023 , 20:12

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Comedian and actor Bill Bailey likes to gamble on an outside chance, whether that’s turning creative projects that really shouldn’t work into stand-up hits or entering Strictly Come Dancing as an also-ran and then stealing the show.

“I think I won Strictly in 2020 as I have so much drive and a tendency to take on things that really shouldn’t pan out – I love the challenge of making them work,” explains Bill, 58. But there is one thing that the star, who made his name on Channel 4’s quirky turn-of-the century comedy Black Books, isn’t quite so relaxed about - and that’s his health.

Growing up near Bath as the son of a GP, the importance of a healthy diet and exercise was drilled into Bill from an early age. At school, he excelled in most sports, and was always incredibly active despite having asthma. Throughout childhood his condition was well controlled, but then, at 16, he had a terrifying asthma attack while swimming in a freezing lake during a school trip to Austria.

“I can still remember that heart-stopping terror of not having enough air in my chest to breathe or shout for help,” he says. “It felt like my airways were closing up, and I’ve never felt fear like that since.” Fortunately, he was close to the edge and able to reach his inhaler quickly, but that moment of panic left him terrified of open water.

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Bill Bailey with Oti Mabuse when he won Strictly Come Dancing (BBC/Guy Levy)

Over the subsequent years, Bill was hospitalised several times with his asthma and had to be put on a nebuliser, which turns asthma medication into a fine mist to be inhaled deeply into the lungs. Once while performing in Australia, he felt a full-blown attack coming on and had to run off stage. “It was a pretty mortifying moment, but I chose to view it more as a positive wake-up call,” says Bill, who is now a supporter for the charity Asthma + Lung UK.

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Bill’s experience left him extremely vigilant about his asthma, and he has been careful to have regular medication reviews ever since. After the scare in Australia he was prescribed a combination steroid inhaler to prevent inflammation of the airways and relieve symptoms, and began using three inhalers to ensure he always has one close to hand.

“Each time I went on stage, I literally had an inhaler perched next to the microphone, one by my guitar and another on the piano,” he explains. “I was so scared of not being able to breathe again.” Bill is now preparing to tour with his next show, Thoughtifier, which he describes as “a huge celebration of being human, positive thought and our collective capacity for renewal.

“Touring can be very tough on both the body and the mind, and I train really hard to get myself in shape,” he says. “This show is two hours long and there’s an awful lot of jumping around and singing. But at no point do I ever think, ‘please let this be over soon’. Instead, my mind is screaming, ‘I never want to leave this stage’.”

Still, there’s no denying that delivering such lively shows requires real stamina. And Bill, who fronts the We Are Undefeatable campaign – set up to encourage people with chronic conditions like asthma to be active – takes his fitness very seriously. “I walk almost every day, and when I have the time I love nothing more than putting my rucksack on and disappearing off on a hike. I also try to do stretches and sit-ups every day, and to use my home treadmill daily.”

Bill shot to fame in Channel 4 comedy Black Books (Channel 4)

Ironically for Bill, given his previous fear of water, the activity that helps his asthma most is scuba diving. “A couple of years back, the BBC offered me this gig which involved me learning to scuba dive. The thought terrified me, but as I’m all about facing my fears, I forced myself to take it on.

“I thought being on compressed oxygen underwater would cause me breathing difficulties, but nothing could have been further from the truth. To my amazement, I discovered that the process of forcing out air through a regulator had a massively positive impact on my lungs as my breathing felt so much more controlled.”

While he wants to be on top of his condition, Bill accepts some triggers are beyond his control. “The cold will always be a trigger for my asthma,” he says. “I can’t do much about the air we breathe either.” Air quality is a big issue for Bill, who lives in Hammersmith – one of the most polluted areas of London – with his wife Kristin and their teenage son Dax. “When I’m touring on the coast or abroad, it’s as if my lungs expand,” he says. “I can breathe so freely, and the air feels so much cleaner. I am genuinely amazed by the number of people who are now losing their lives because of poor air quality."

Recent figures show air pollution is linked to 43,000 premature deaths a year in the UK, with a poll by Asthma + Lung UK revealing that one in three Londoners with asthma believe their condition is worsened by pollution. “There was a suggestion some time ago that the whole of the A4 should be buried underground because it just causes so much pollution,” says Bill.

“Not very practical but something has to be done. People’s health is suffering all over the country because of pollution. We need better public transport and proper incentives to get cars off the road, but the public and political will has to be there to make these changes.”